Yes, Mother Dear
by Surf-merGirl1963
Summary: It's Mother vs. Manager. Will the two of them survive? Please R&R if you can!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own any of the Partridge Family characters.

**Author's Note:**

I am writing this in response to a request made by RaideretteLevin. She provided the subject; I'm providing the story. LOL

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Chapter One

"Mom!"

The all too familiar cry came from upstairs and Shirley Partridge rolled her eyes as she returned her gaze to the morning paper. "In the kitchen!" She called back and it wasn't long before her two oldest children joined both she and Rueben at the kitchen table.

"Mom," Keith said as he entered through the door, "Laurie's ruining my life!"

"Me?" Laurie replied heatedly, "You're the one that canceled my date on Saturday night!" She followed close behind, not about to let her side of the story be ignored.

"Only because you refused to set me up with Nancy! Besides, Allan Howard _is_ bad news!" Shirley watched as Keith turned to face his sister with a challenging stare.

"Allan Howard is not bad news-"

"Hold on a moment!" Shirley raised a hand to silence them. "What exactly _is_ the problem here and what has this to do with Allan Howard being bad news?" It was the typical argument between her two oldest children. Somebody was ruining the other's dating life: the worse possible crime to be committed in a teenager's existence.

"Mom," Keith cut right in, "Laurie refused to set me up with the new girl at school, Nancy Weiss."

Nancy Weiss? Shirley figured she must be new. She had never heard the name before. "Alright," Shirley looked to Laurie, "And why won't you talk to Nancy about it?"

"I refused because Nancy is already going steady with a nice boy from her old town."

Shirley nodded. That made sense. Being the most sensitive of the children, Laurie was constantly thinking of others and trying to better the human race, especially when it came to hurting or teasing Keith in the process. If Nancy had a steady and Laurie knew about it, that would explain her reluctance to ask Nancy about her interest in Keith.

"But you could still ask her." Pressured Keith. It was obvious to Shirley that, to him, this argument was one-sided. His side.

Laurie frowned at him. "Keith, She'd turn you down in an instant."

There was always drama. "Kids, please." Shirley looked to Keith, "Now what is this about Allan Howard?" Allan Howard? That name was new to her as well. She definitely wasn't as involved with her children's lives as she used to be.

"He's bad news and he wants to take my sister out Saturday night!"

"Allan Howard is a very nice boy!" Laurie interrupted, with a nod of her head. "He's only misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Keith's tone was in the I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that category. Shirley knew that one well. "What type of misunderstood boy is found coming out of '_The Inner Self_'?"

Laurie turned to him, smiling slyly, "I'll have you know, you were one of those types at a time." She poked him playfully. The teasing and the jokes. Another element in every Partridge Family feud.

Shirley raised her eyebrows waiting for Keith's comeback. After all, she remembered that instance very well. It had taken Keith days to finally persuade the lingerie store's worker, Janet, to finally agree to go out with him.

"Only because I was interested in the clerk. I never came out carrying shopping bags."

Shopping bags? That didn't sound good to Shirley.

"Those are all rumors!"

Rumors. Something Shirley knew well. She lifted her hand again in order to regain their attention "Alright, alright." She turned to Laurie. "You are _sure_ that this guy is really a 'nice guy'? Not another Lester Braddock I hope."

"No! Nothing like that!" Laurie insisted. "This guy's truly misunderstood." The look in her eyes had the same intensity as the time she had to persuade them that Lester too was really a gentleman.

Shirley was a little edgy, but Laurie's opinion deserved the benefit of the doubt and so did Allan. She nodded. "Alright then, Keith? I want you to apologize to Allan and tell him Laurie _will _be going out with him this Saturday."

Keith's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "But Mom-" He started off, but one stern look from Shirley silenced him, "Oh, alright." He was disappointed, but Shirley had expected him to be.

Laurie was smug, but Shirley still had one last thing to say in order to make the situation fair. "And Laurie, you will talk to Nancy about Keith won't you?"

"Talk to Nancy? But Mom-"

Shirley got a smug smile of her own, "After all, if Keith isn't brave enough to ask a girl out on his own, somebody's got to do it." She continued looking at the paper.

Keith paused in the doorway. "Now hold on a minute." He said. "I'm not afraid to ask a girl out on a date."

"Then why ask Laurie to ask for you?"

"Because I thought I'd have a better chance if Laurie put in a good word for me."

Shirley glanced up at her son and daughter who were now staring at one another. Laurie looked pleased and Keith looked desperate.

"Alright." Laurie said at last. "I'll talk to Nancy for you."

Keith's face broke into a grin. "Great! Thanks!"

"But," Laurie added, using a word way too common in the Partridge household, "You first have to reset my date and discontinue the passing of those rumors about Allan."

Keith's smile vanished. "But they're not rumors! They're true!"

"Keith?" Shirley said and Keith glanced quickly at her before nodding at Laurie.

"Alright, deal." They shook on it and Shirley was witness, so was Ruben who turned to the mother after her children had left the room.

"Deal? Really Shirley, is that the way you raised these kids?"

"Well, it solved the problem didn't it?" Shirley looked to him. "Laurie gets her date, and Keith gets a chance to see if Nancy is really interested in him or not."

"Sure…" Ruben said, "But do you even know these kids? I mean, what if all those rumors about Allan Howard are true?"

Shirley just shook her head in disbelief. Another common occurrence, Ruben was taking the over-protective-brother's side. "Rueben, if you don't agree with how I handled that situation, why don't you just tell me?"

Rueben's answer was to the point. "I don't agree with the way you handled that situation."

"Alright." Shirley decided to humor him. "Then how would you have handled that situation?"

Rueben thought for a moment and then a smile came to his face. "I'd pat Keith on the back for stopping that disaster from happening and tell him to get out there and ask Nancy out."

Shirley didn't agree. "Well, then what about Laurie?"

"No worries, she won't be going out with bad-news Allan and she doesn't have to ask Nancy out for Keith. See? Simple, easy, and nobody gets hurt."

"Except that Laurie doesn't get to go out on her date."

"Shirley, a guy coming out of a lady's lingerie store with shopping bags is not the type of person I'd let my daughter go out with!"

Shirley stopped for a minute. He had said 'his daughter'. She had never really thought of it before, but Rueben probably felt a father-like responsibility for her kids. After all, he was their manager and saw them most of the time. It surprised her how he had said that. Usually Rueben would be quiet and let her handle her children's problems in her own way, but this time, he seemed genuinely concerned about Laurie's welfare.

"Alright." She nodded at last, "But… we don't know that is true. Remember? Laurie said they were rumors."

"Rumors? You heard Keith, they're true!"

"Rueben!" All her feelings of sympathy for the manager diminished. She couldn't believe he'd be acting so unfairly. "If Laurie said they're rumors, I'm willing to give Allan Howard the benefit of the doubt."

"But Shirley, Allan Howard is bad news."

"How do you know this? Have you ever met him?"

"No, but-"

"Then keep your opinions to yourself!"

Rueben looked to the countertop and began mumbling something about women and their ways of making easy decisions more complicated then they need to be.

"You know," She said, trying to let herself be heard, "Being a mother is not as easy as people may think."

"Shirley," Rueben said, "I didn't question your position, I just questioned your decision. Besides," He added the last word as an after thought, "How hard can it be to cook and clean and tell kids what to do? I mean they all listen to you. Being a manager, you have to deal with all sorts of people and half the time you spend listening to _them_!"

Shirley could see where this was headed, but she was never one to back down from a challenge. "So… is that all you think motherhood is? Cleaning, cooking and giving orders?"

"That's exactly how it is. All you have to do is deal with the children and stay home to relax. Your only interaction with other people is at the bank and the grocery store and church every Sunday."

Shirley couldn't believe Rueben had such a low view of one of the hardest jobs in the world. "Rueben, motherhood is far from easy! Any American mother can tell you the trials and difficulties of running a household!"

"Motherhood is the easiest job in the books! You should try managing a group! Booking and business meetings, preparation for when things go wrong, and budgeting!"

"That bad, huh?"

"That's right. You couldn't survive a day in _my_ position." Ruben haughtily sipped at his coffee.

Shirley watched him almost hoping he'd spill it so she could tell him to wash his own shirt. But he didn't. He just drank it slowly until a dreamy smile came to his lips.

"You know what, Shirley? I've got just the thing that will settle this dispute once and for all."

"Oh? And what is this?" She didn't like the tone of his voice and she was almost certain she wouldn't like his idea.

Rueben's smile widened. "We change places for a week. I'll mother your children and you'll be the manager for the group."

Shirley thought about this for a while. She had always been one for a challenge, especially when it put proud men like Ruben Kincaid in their place. One week, he had said. Shirley was sure she could do it. After all, how hard could managing be? She was sure it'd be a vacation compared to what she had on her plate right now.

"Of course," Ruben continued. "As for performances and practices, we'll still be in our normal positions."

Shirley wouldn't have asked for it any other way. "Alright." She said. "You're on. You be mom for a week and I'll be manager." She smiled at the thought. Rueben as a mother? This was going to be interesting. Very interesting indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"You're doing what?" The five Partridge children looked at their mother in shock. They couldn't be hearing this right; at least Laurie hoped they weren't.

"Rueben and I are going to change places for a while. I will be booking the concerts and attending the meetings while Rueben is going to be your mother."

Danny gave Ruben a disgusted stare, "He's already failed at that."

Rueben glared at the redhead.

"But Mom, why?" Laurie looked to her mother desperately. This seemed so silly.

"Because Rueben has this fool idea in his head that my job is much easier than his and I plan to prove him wrong."

Rueben chuckled. "That's where you're wrong, Shirley. I'm about to show _you_ wrong."

Laurie doubted that.

"Alright great." Keith clasped his hands together and smiled, "Mom's right, Rueben's wrong. Now the problem's solved. Mom? What's for dinner?"

Shirley raised an eyebrow and gave the manager a sideways glace. "Ask Rueben."

"Oh, come on, Mom. You can't be serious!"

"I am. I think it's time that Rueben learned that motherhood is just as big of a job as managing a singing group. Maybe even harder." Shirley turned towards the stairs. "Now if you children will all excuse me, I need to get packed."

Laurie watched her go and then turned to the manager. "Rueben, you can't be serious! You're actually letting Mom walk out of here and take over your job?"

"It's only for a week, Laurie. She may even be back before then. Oh, the stresses of work…" Rueben sort of smiled but Laurie wasn't the least bit amused.

"So… what is for dinner?" Chris looked to Rueben.

"I don't know. We'll get take-out or something."

"Cool!" Tracy and Chris exchanged smiles and nodded eagerly.

"What will we call you?" Asked Tracy then.

"Rueben, or Mr. Kincaid, just like you kids always do."

Laurie shook her head and smiled slyly. She wasn't going to let him off so easy. "Oh, no. If you're going to be our mother for the week, you're going to need a suitable name…"

Rueben looked at the faces of the grinning children. "Suitable name?"

"How about Mrs. Kincaid?" Suggested Danny.

"That's my mother's name!" Complained Rueben.

"Daddy?" Asked Tracy.

"Mr. Mom?" Suggested Keith with a chuckle.

"No that won't do…" Laurie thought for a moment. They had to make this good. It had to fit the purpose, yet embarrass Rueben. "I've got it!" She said at last, "How about Ma Kincaid?"

"Ma Kincaid?" Rueben glared. "I won't settle for that! It makes me sound, old, fat and feminine."

"Well… now that you mention it…" Keith teased. Reuben silenced him with an icy stare.

"Well! I'm off!" Shirley came bounding down the stairs with a suitcase in her hand and sunglasses perched on her head. "The keys, Ma Kincaid?" She held out her hand to the manager, taking the time to wink at the children. Tracy giggled.

"Keys?" Asked Rueben.

Shirley smiled at him, "But of course, Ma Kincaid. Managers don't drive station wagons."

Reuben frowned. "Oh, no! I'm letting you have my apartment and my job; there's no way you're also getting my car!"

"Oh no?" Said Shirley, "Well then, I guess the deal's off. After all, I can't imagine a mother being able to function without a family car. What would the neighbors think if you dropped Tracy and Chris off at the elementary school in a convertible?"

"They can take the bus."

"Oh, come on Rueben…"

And then grudgingly, he surrendered the keys.

"Thank you." Shirley snatched up the keys and headed for the door, "Bye, kids!" She waved before flitting out the door. As soon as it closed behind her, the five children turned back to Ruben. 

"Now where were we?" Said Danny.

"I think dinner." Grumbled Keith. "And whatever it is can we do it soon? I'm starved!"

"I thought Ma Kincaid was ordering take-out?" Said Laurie. She was planning on making this job as hard as possible for Rueben. After all, she was on her mother's side of the argument. This would be just the experience to humble someone as self-righteous as Rueben Kincaid.

"I-I will." Rueben stammered. "Where's the telephone?"

"In the kitchen, as always." Laurie said, pointing in the right direction.

"Right." Rueben set out in hot pursuit. She watched him go.

"So? What do you make of this?" As soon as he had left, Laurie turned to her siblings. She wanted to get all their opinions, to see who was on her side.

"I want Mom back." Said Tracy.

"Yeah, me too." Chris agreed.

"I say we ditch Ma Kincaid and go parent-less." Was Danny's reply.

Laurie shook her head and looked to Keith. "What do you think?"

The oldest thought for a moment, scratching his chin. "I say, we go along with it, be ourselves and soon enough Rueben will give up, Mom wins, and we get our normal lives back."

Laurie nodded. It sounded alright to her.

"Wait a minute, why do we have to be ourselves? This is our one chance to make Rueben miserable!" Danny argued.

"Something tells me you do an awfully good job of that anyways." Keith pat him on the back.

Danny frowned.

"Alright, I ordered Chinese. I hope everyone's hungry." Rueben re-entered the room.

"Why's that?" Asked Chris.

"Because," Rueben replied somewhat miserably, "I'm not entirely sure how much I got."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The following morning Laurie woke up to an empty kitchen. As usual, Rueben was sleeping in. However, this time she wasn't going to let him get away with it. Shirley always woke up at seven to start breakfast, it was half past that now and she knew the rest of the kids would soon be appearing, ready for food. She pulled out all the items needed for cold cereal and then left to rouse Ma Kincaid.

"Ma Kincaid?" She rapped on his door.

"Go away! Came the muffled reply, but she wouldn't be leaving. Rueben needed to know his place.

"Ma Kincaid!" She knocked again.

"Laurie?" Chris came out of his bedroom then, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What's wrong, Chris?" She turned to him. He looked a little pale.

"I don't feel well. My stomach kind of hurts."

It didn't take a doctor to realize what had occurred. Too much grease. Too much Chinese take-out. Poor eating had really taken its toll on the young boy's body. Laurie sighed. "Alright. Get back in bed. I'll have Ma Kincaid call you in sick for school."

Chris nodded miserably and then returned to his room. Laurie tried the door again. "Ma Kincaid!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" The door swung open. "What do you want?" From the tone of his voice, Laurie was sure he had anticipated Danny. He was still in his nightclothes and once realizing his caller was in fact Laurie, hastily hid himself behind his door. "Yeah? What is it?"

Laurie tried to hide her amusement and decided to address the most pressing issue first. "Chris is sick, you're going to have to call the school."

"Can't you do it? I'm not even dressed yet!"

Laurie shook her head firmly. "You're the mother, besides," she paused, "I already handled breakfast."

"So?"

"That's your job too, Ma."

Rueben's face fell. "Give me ten minutes."

"Five."

"Seven."

"Fair enough." Laurie smiled and then gave him a greeting, long over-due. "Good morning."

"What's good about it?" Rueben grumbled before closing the door in her face. Laurie grinned and went to wake her younger sister. The rest would soon be up and she still needed to eat breakfast and continue her own morning routine before school.

…

Breakfast was business as usual and when Laurie came back downstairs she found Rueben with the rest of the kids at the table. Tracy was spoon-feeding him Cheerios as he stared dejectedly at a wall. By the look on his face, Laurie anticipated that motherhood was already wearing on the poor manager.

"Well, I'm off. Be sure to get the kids to school on time." Laurie said her final farewell just as Keith entered the room and grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter.

"You're leaving already?" Rueben looked up to her and she nodded.

"Sure am. You wouldn't want us to be late for school now, would you?"

Reuben looked back to the wall. "No. Of course not."

"Have a good day." Laurie turned and unlocked the back door.

Keith, meanwhile, bid Rueben goodbye. "Don't forget to do the laundry. Oh! And Chris is upstairs, he may get hungry soon, and then there is also the grocery shopping, and don't forget to vacuum the rug."

Rueben sighed. "Maybe you should make me a list…"

Keith hit a palm to his forehead, "Oh no, can't. I'll be late for class."

Laurie held back the laughter until they reached the sidewalk. She looked to her older brother and asked, "Are we really that mean?"

Keith grinned. "No, we're just being model children."

Laurie giggled. "Right."

…

Shirley soon found the manager life wasn't much different from her own. Once arriving at the apartment she had been appalled by the mess and instantly went about cleaning the space, vacuuming the carpets and dusting the furniture. By the time she had finished, she had to take out the trash. It was overflowing with take-out boxes and greasy paper plates. She tied the bag and headed towards the front door. Just then, the phone rang. She dropped the bag and rushed to answer it.

"Hello?" She picked up the receiver.

"Who is this?" Came the gruff reply.

Shirley paused a moment to come up with an answer. She couldn't very well claim she was Rueben Kincaid. Though she _would _have his job for a couple days she was far from the man that was now in charge of raising her family. Could she label herself the manager, or would such a general title make the man suspicious?

"Hello?" The caller was getting impatient.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Shirley Partridge speaking. May I ask who you are?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Alfred Henderson."

"And you're calling in regards to…?"

His next statement was very direct. "Is Mr. Kincaid there?"

"No, actually, he's not."

"Do you know when he'll be back? This _is_ his number isn't it?"

"Yes, and he'll be back in a week."

"A week? Where is he? On vacation or something?"

Shirley had to be clever with this response. She didn't want her family to lose business. "Well, I guess you could call it that…"

"What do _you_ call it?" Asked Mr. Henderson.

Shirley hadn't been anticipating this question at all. "Um… well… Mr. Henderson, this would take a very long time to explain…"

"Never mind, then. Just be sure to let Mr. Kincaid know that… well…." He stopped for a moment. Shirley almost feared the line had been disconnected.

"Yes?"

"Never mind. I'll call back later. Goodbye."

"Bye." Shirley waited for a moment and then set the phone back in its cradle. She wasn't really sure what to think of her first conversation as manager. To say the very least, she didn't think it went very well. But what could she do? She couldn't claim to be Rueben, but then again, if people didn't know she was currently in control, she'd never get any work done.

"I'll just have to figure a way to let people know I'm going to be in charge of the group for a while." She thought aloud, walking into the center of the room and tapping her chin thoughtfully with her finger. She caught sight of the garbage bag and went back over to the door to deal with it.

The phone rang again. Shirley sighed. This was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

When Laurie and Keith arrived home that afternoon, the house was unusually quiet. They both entered cautiously and took a look around. The family room was empty and everything was still.

"Where do you think Rueben is?" Laurie asked, dropping her satchel on a nearby table. Nothing seemed to be out of place. It seemed almost as if the whole house were deserted.

"Knowing Rueben he's probably taking a nap." Keith followed her into the living room.

Laurie swiped the mantle with her hand. "Well, where ever he is, he forgot to dust."

"Forgot to vacuum too." Keith replied collapsing onto the couch.

Laurie soon joined him. "I wonder where Chris is?"

"Probably napping too."

"Maybe I should go check on him?"

"Okay, and while you're up, can you get me a soda?"

Laurie frowned at her brother. "You get it. You need the exercise." She got up from the couch and headed for the stairs. Keith didn't call after her, which was unusual, though she wasn't the least bit worried. She knew the soda comment was just a joke. At least, she _hoped_ so.

Once reaching the second landing, she knocked on the door to the younger boys' room. "Chris?" She pushed the door open and sighed in relief when she spotted the young blonde boy asleep in his bed. "Well, that solves one problem…" She closed the door as not to disturb him and headed back down the stairs. When she reached the lower landing, Keith was nowhere to be seen.

"Keith?" She headed or the kitchen. Just then, her brother entered through the back door covered in frothy soapsuds. Laurie lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "What happened to you?"

Keith frowned. "I found Rueben." He paused to open a drawer and remove a dishtowel, and then quickly began to dry himself off. "Do you know how to work the washing machine?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Because we can't find the off-switch and Ma Kincaid decided to not only wash our clothes but the entire garage as well."

Laurie began to laugh.

"It's not funny. I barely escaped with my life!"

"Oh, Keith. You're so melodramatic, it can't be _that_ bad." Laurie headed for the back door.

"Oh yeah? It really is _that_ bad." Keith followed her out the door and to the garage.

Laurie's smile remained until she opened the door. "Oh my goodness!" Soap suds spilled out the doorway and onto the concrete. "Rueben?" Laurie called out, pushing her way through the froth and into the garage.

"Laurie? Hey, do you know how to turn this thing off?"

Laurie soon found their temporary mother in a pink apron, standing by the washer. The machine continued to pulse out sprays of bubbles as Rueben held up his arms to shield himself. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I just put the soap in and started the washer and then… well… _this_!"

Laurie reached for the washer and cranked the knob, stilling the machine.

"What a relief." Rueben began to fan suds from out of his eyes.

The garage door suddenly eased open and the bubbles began to diminish.

"Fix the problem yet?" Keith soon arrived and walked up to his sister.

"All fixed." Laurie assured him. She looked to Rueben. "By the way, how much soap did you use exactly?"

The frustrated manager shrugged, "I don't know. A little bit here, a little bit there… The water refused to foam!"

"He used the whole box" Keith replied holding up the empty container.

Laurie raised an eyebrow and looked back to Ma Kincaid.

"What? Aren't I entitled to at least one mistake? I've never done laundry in my life!"

"Never done laundry?"

"Well, all my suits are dry-clean only."

"What about socks and underwear?" Keith wanted to know.

"Well, there's this really nice lady at my apartment complex…"

"I see…" Laurie uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Well, let's get this place cleaned up before Danny and Tracy show up."

"Please do." Said Rueben, "If Danny saw this mess I'd never hear the end of it."

"If Danny saw what?" Just then the last two Partridge children entered the garage.

"Where did all the bubbles come from?" Tracy asked, looking at the foam.

"We uh…" Laurie looked to her brother for help.

"Were giving Simone a bath." Keith finished quickly.

"Who's bathing who?" Danny chuckled.

Laurie frowned. "You two go along inside, we'll be in soon."

Danny nodded. "C'mon Tracy, let's go get a snack."

"Okay."

Laurie waited until the two younger ones had gone before turning back to Rueben. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Not so easy being a mother now is it?"

Reuben's frown deepened. "Everyone's entitled to a couple of mistakes. Even mothers."

Laurie and Keith exchanged amused grins.

"Sure, Reuben." Keith patted the manager on the back. "Even mothers."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Shirley Partridge found the manager life relaxing after a little adjusting. She soon realized that the phone calls stopped at about seven every evening and at the end of her second day as manager, Shirley was able to do something she hadn't had the opportunity to do in a_ very_ long time: she took a long, relaxing, bubble bath.

Shirley sighed as she slid back into the foamy water allowing the warm water to sooth her. "Well, here's to the end of day two as manager." She sighed and looked at her feet down at the other end of the tub. She wiggled her toes and grinned. Even though she had to make an extra trip to the drugstore for the soap and supplies, she was glad she had. This was just what she needed.

The room was silent and for some reason it bothered Shirley. She wasn't used to such a quiet residence. She actually found herself missing the arguing and the shouting and the sound of her kids' footsteps as they hurried up the stairs. Such things had been life's music for her the past decade and she found it hard to adjust without it.

_I wonder why I didn't realize it before._ She thought but then remembered that the day before she had been too busy and then too tired to do much thinking. Now that she had time alone, she was thinking of everything she missed. _I hope the kids are adjusting well and that Rueben's been tucking Tracy in every night..._ She hated to admit it, but she even missed the housework and the complaining.

"Stop it." She scolded herself. "You wanted a vacation and now you're getting it." Well, sort of. This seemed like work to her. Not that it was too stressful or anything, it was just…well… _different_, in a number of ways.

Shirley leaned back again and closed her eyes, hoping to shut out her thoughts of home. But unfortunately, sometimes life had other plans:

The doorbell rang.

Shirley paused for a moment to make sure she had heard right, but then it chimed again. The loud buzzer carried through the entire apartment. It was an obnoxious sound. One Shirley didn't appreciate.

"Just a minute!" Hastily, she climbed from the tub and toweled off, pulling the nearest robe over her body. She threw open the bathroom door and padded across the living room, pausing momentarily to securely tie the robe into place. It is here, she noticed a mistake. This wasn't her robe. In her rush to get to the door she had accidentally grabbed Ruben's.

The doorbell rang again.

"Just a minute!" Shirley knew the caller wouldn't wait for her to change so she proceeded to the front door and flung it open just as the doorbell rang a third time. What she saw surprised her.

"May I help you?" She automatically studied the young woman that stood on her doorstep. The short red dress and matching pumps proved to Shirley that this wasn't just a social call.

"Um…" The woman looked equally as shocked as her eyes landed on Shirley. "I'm sorry. I must have gotten the wrong apartment. I was looking for 6D?"

"You've got the right place." Shirley assured her. "Would you like to come in?" She stepped aside to allow the woman entrance, but the guest didn't move.

"Is Rueben- um, I mean, is _Mr. Kincaid_ in?"

"No, he's not."

"He's not?" The red-clad female seemed surprised.

"No. Was Rueben expecting you?"

"Um… well…no. You see? I was in town and thought I might pay him a visit I-" The final words caught in the young woman's throat as she finally took note of Shirley's outfit. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Would you like to leave a message? I can call him up and get it to him right away if it's urgent." Shirley tried not to seem nervous, but she had a bad feeling she knew what the woman was thinking.

"No." She said it quietly at first and then repeated herself a little more strongly, her eyes narrowing. "No. I-In fact, I'm not sure if I ever want to see him again."

Sure enough, Shirley's suspicions were confirmed. "Now hold on a minute. This isn't what it looks like…" She knew it looked bad. Here she was in Ruben's apartment and in his bathrobe. She would have been equally as shocked if she had been in the young woman's place.

"It isn't?" Her hands were now on her hips and she looked to Shirley expectantly.

"No. Rueben happens to be the manager for my family and I was…" She struggled for the right word, "_house-sitting_ for him while he was away. You see? He's out on a business trip."

"I'm sure he is." The woman still seemed angry.

"It's true. And if you're so concerned as to why I'm in a bathrobe, well, when you rang the bell I was in the middle of a bath and-"

The woman held up her hand. "Please, don't say anything more. I don't care to know and you can tell Mr. Kincaid, or should I say _Rueben_, that if he ever wants to see Angela Gixten again, he'd better be ready to explain himself!"

"But-"

Angela stormed off before Shirley was able to get out another word. She sighed and closed the door, leaning against it as she shook her head in pure disbelief. Maybe it had been too early to celebrate. Her encounter with Angela had been anything but successful.

"What will I tell Rueben?"

She hoped he wouldn't be mad. She had a feeling Angela Gixten wouldn't be returning and it looked like Rueben would be out of luck. Actually, Shirley was almost happy about the misconception. She didn't really approve of Angela, but it wasn't exactly right of her to poke her nose into Rueben's dating life.

Shirley soon decided that the best solution to her problem would be to tell the truth. She knew he wouldn't be very happy, so she decided not to mention it until he was back on his own job. The last thing she needed was a heart-broken mother for her children. Reuben had a duty now and she didn't want to alter his performance. It wouldn't be fair.

The phone rang just as Shirley was heading back to the bathroom. She instantly walked to the table and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, Rueben?" She instantly recognized the voice of Mr. Henderson

This wasn't al all what she needed. Shirley sighed. "Not exactly."

"What? Then who is this?"

"Shirley Partridge."

"Mrs. Partridge? _Again_? Where is Rueben?"

"I told you. He's not here. He'll be back at the end of the week."

The man paused for a moment then said quickly, "I thought for sure you had been putting me on."

"Well, I wasn't. Now what is it that you need, Mr. Henderson? It must be pretty important if you are calling back so soon."

"Oh, it is."

"Then why don't you tell me about it?"

"_You_?" Henderson chuckled. "What could_ you_ do about it?"

Shirley had been getting a lot of that lately and she was getting tired of it. "Well, Rueben has left me in charge while he's away, so if it has anything to do with his work, I could-"

Henderson seemed shocked. "Rueben left town?"

"Well, in a sense…"

"Do you have a number where I can reach him?"

"Mr. Henderson, I'm in charge now-"

The sound of a dial tone soon reached her ears and Shirley frowned. He had hung up on her. She sighed irately and hung up the receiver. Men! Ha! Sometimes they could make her so angry.

She turned her back on the phone and strutted back towards the bathroom. She'd pour new water in the tub. She was stressed. She now needed that bath more then ever.

Shirley shrugged out of the robe and hung it on the peg behind the door. Perhaps Rueben had been right about his work? Managing a group was harder than you'd think. Especially when you were being constantly misunderstood.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The following afternoon, Laurie found Rueben hard at work in the kitchen. "What's up?" She asked, noticing the frustrated look on the manager's face as he stood in front of a bowl, potato masher in hand.

"The darn potatoes won't mash!" Rueben complained, frowning at the peeled spuds lying in the bowl.

"You're making dinner?"

"I'm trying to."

Laurie came to his side and picked up one of the potatoes. She squeezed it. It was hard. "Reuben, you're supposed to _cook_ the potatoes first."

"Well, how am I supposed to know? Nobody tells me anything!"

Laurie merely shook her head and went into the cabinet for a pot. She set it in the sink and began to fill it with water. Just then, Keith entered the kitchen.

"What's for dinner, Ma?" He asked with a grin, setting his books on the kitchen counter.

And for the first time that day, Rueben actually smiled. "I'll have you know, that I am making a roast!"

"Roast?" Keith's smile widened. "Sounds good."

Laurie paled. _He _was making a _roast_? "W-Where is it?" She dreaded the answer, but figured she should try to save the meat before Reuben could do any more damage. If someone couldn't make mashed potatoes, they most definitely couldn't handle a roast.

"It's in the oven, where it belongs. Should be done in an hour or so."

Laurie sniffed the air, and for the first time, she detected a peculiar odor. Her eyes widened. He didn't. Oh, but he did.

Laurie hastily grabbed some mitts and rushed over to the oven. When she opened it, thick, black, smoke poured out and into the room. "Keith, open the door! Rueben, the window!" She directed as she pulled out the burning meat. Both men quickly did as they were told.

"What happened?" Reuben wanted to know as Laurie set the burning roast into the sink and doused it with cold water. "Why is my roast all black?"

"You set the oven temperature too high." Laurie explained, coughing. "Keith, you'd better open the rest of the house windows."

"I'm on it." Keith fled from the room.

"Can it be saved?" Reuben looked to the meat. He coughed too. Laurie knew it was unhealthy to stay inside until the smoke cleared, but doubted Rueben would leave without first getting an explanation.

"Maybe." Laurie wasn't sure she wanted to eat roast anymore.

"What's that funny smell?" Chris soon walked in the back door followed by the other two Partridge children. All three had just come home from school. Chris had felt fine that morning and Laurie sent him along on his regular routine.

"Dinner." Laurie told them and then walked to the oven to turn it off.

"I don't think I want to eat that." Tracy wrinkled her nose.

"Ma Kincaid failed again?" Danny looked to Reuben.

"Get out." Rueben commanded and flapped at the three youngest with a spatula.

Danny smirked.

"No, Ma Kincaid is right. It's not good to be breathing in all this smoke. Let's all go outside and allow the house some time to clear." Laurie went to the youngest children and began herding them towards the front door. Keith met them at the stairway.

"All open." He said.

"Good. C'mon." Laurie said and the children all fled outside. Rueben soon joined them, collapsing on the front stoop, cradling his chin in his hands.

He looked sad. Laurie felt sorry for him. "Don't worry about it, Rueben. I'm sure everyone's made that mistake at least once." She swallowed trying to moisten her dry throat.

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Um…" Laurie struggled for an answer.

"Yeah, like nobody." Reuben frowned. "Admit it, kids. I'm failing as a mother."

Keith laughed uneasily, "Well I wouldn't exactly say you '_failed_'…"

Laurie silenced her brother with an icy stare.

"What are we going to do for dinner now?" Tracy wanted to know.

Laurie thought for a moment. "Well, we can't go into the house just yet. Maybe we should go out someplace?"

"Tacos?" Suggested Danny.

Laurie shook her head. Chris had just gotten better. The last thing he needed in his stomach was more grease.

"How about the _A&B Café_?" Keith suggested.

Laurie smiled. A wonderful suggestion. The _A&B Café_ was Rueben's favorite restaurant. It was just the place to cheer him up and feed the family. "Sounds good to me. Ma?"

Rueben attempted a smile. "Okay."

"Great! Let's get in the car!"

Suddenly, loud sirens filled the air. Laurie hastily pressed her hands to her ears trying to muffle the sound.

"Is that-?" Keith's unfinished question was soon answered as a bright red fire engine suddenly pulled up in front of the house, followed by a red paramedics unit.

A fireman instantly hopped down from the cab and hurried over to the kids and their manager. "Is everyone alright? We got a call from a neighbor that they saw smoke coming out from the windows."

Laurie looked to Keith and they groaned. How were they going to explain this one? Unfortunately, they didn't have to. Danny took the liberty of telling the story.

"It's very simple, sir." The redhead started, looking up at the fireman. "That smoke, was our dinner."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Wednesday was a business meeting. Shirley woke up an hour early to prepare for the event, even pep-talking herself in the mirror before setting out. She needed to be strong and poised. She would have to let the men she was conferencing with know that yes, she was a woman, yes, Ruben wasn't around, and indeed, she was in charge!

"Yes, yes, indeed." Shirley chanted as she made her way out of the apartment and down to Ruben's parked car. She fished for the keys in her purse. "Yes, yes, indeed." She had to remind herself. She had to stay strong. This was a big day for her family. This was the day she needed to not make any mistakes and get the band sighed up at some venues.

Shirley found the key and hastily unlocked the car and climbed in. She buckled her seatbelt and relaxed her hands as she set them on the steering wheel. She looked up at the rearview mirror and gave her reflection some words of encouragement, "Yes, you can do this. Yes, you will succeed, and indeed! You are in charge!"

She stared the engine and pulled out of the lot. Entering traffic, she made her way to _Chez Pierre_, the location of the gathering. Shirley had eaten lunch ahead of time in case she suddenly lost her appetite during the session. It's not that Shirley didn't like French cuisine, in fact she loved it, but she didn't want to order something and not be able to enjoy it, especially at the price she would be paying.

"Strictly tea with sugar." She told herself, when she stopped at a light. "Sugar, with a little pinch of tea… or uh…" She was losing her nerve. She was now putting words out of order!

"Oh, come on, Shirley. You can do this." She encouraged herself. "When in doubt, just remember: Yes! You can do it. Yes! You are qualified and, indeed! You are in charge!" She grinned at the statement and then remembered her window was open. Nervously, she looked over at the car beside her, just praying they hadn't heard her talking to herself.

A smiling face with glasses looked back at her from the passenger seat of a gray-blue sedan. "Thanks lady." Said the man, wiping away a tear. "I needed that."

Shirley looked back to the traffic light and just shook her head. _Alright, no more pep talks. At least not until you reach the parking lot. _

…

Shirley pulled into the restaurant parking lot ten minutes early. Using this extra time to her advantage, Shirley hastily removed her makeup kit from out of her purse and did a little touch-up work by use of the convertible's mirrors.

"Here we are." She said as she removed a tube of lipstick. "In ten minutes those venue owners are going to get the surprise of their life!" She hoped the letter Ruben had written her would agree with the big business men she was about to meet. They just had to take her seriously. She was tired of being ignored, or misunderstood. It was time she took charge.

"Alright, Shirley." At three minutes till, Shirley got ready to leave the car. "Just remember, you can do this. Yes, yes, indeed." She tried to smile, but the smile her reflection gave her only made her more nervous.

"Yes, yes, indeed. Yes, yes indeed. " She mumbled as she locked up the car and hurried into the restaurant. "Yes, you can do this. If they ask, just hand them the letter."

A man held open the front door for her.

"Thank you," She smiled at him briefly before entering and meeting with the waiter at the front.

"Do you have a reservation, Ma'am?" He asked her.

"I'm here to meet with some big-named venue owners about hiring my band?" She described vaguely, hoping that the waiter wouldn't need further information.

"Oh, but of course. Right this way." He led her to a table where a portly man already sat, staring at his menu. "Here we are, ma'am."

"Thank you." Shirley took a seat at the table.

The fat man looked at her, but said nothing. He frowned and returned his attention to the menu.

"Um… hello." She tried to be friendly, and smiled at him as she held out her hand. "I'm Shirley Partridge, I'm standing in for Rueben Kincaid today, and you are…?"

"Ferdinand Fredrickson." He said. He didn't give her a handshake. His nose never left the menu.

Shirley refused to let herself feel discouraged. "Oh… well, it's very nice to meet you Mr. Fredrickson."

"It's Dinny."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Call me Dinny." The man explained. "Everybody does."

"Um... alright… Dinny." Shirley made note to remember that.

Suddenly, several more well-dressed gentlemen joined the table.

"Hmmm… a lady is present." Said one of the men, taking the seat beside Shirley. "To whom do we owe the pleasure?"

"My name is Shirley Partridge." Shirley smiled politely.

"Ooh, of the Partridge Family… I see. Um, where is Kincaid?"

"I'm afraid he couldn't make it." She told the businessmen. "So he sent me."

The three other men that joined them nodded.

"And all of you are…?"

The man to her left spoke first. "Alfred Jensen. _Sparkling Hue Nightclub_." He picked up her hand and kissed it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Jensen." She wasn't flattered, but she pretended to be.

"And I'm Michael Gibson. A venue owner from Las Vegas." Said another finely-dressed gentleman. He then took his turn in shaking her hand.

"Glen Southborough. _Appletree Night Club_." Another man introduced himself and then finally the last.

"Vic Klein."

"It's very nice to meet you all." Shirley smiled warmly. All the men seemed pleased by her presence. She hoped that a good first impression would guarantee plenty of venues for her family, because, sadly, she wasn't sure how such negotiations were made.

"Good. Looks like everybody is now present. May I start you off with any drinks?" A waiter arrived and passed out menus and glasses of ice water as he spoke with a think French accent.

All the men looked to her.

"Um… hot tea, please." She ordered, smiling at the waiter.

"Yes, ma'am." He wrote down the order and then turned to the men. "And you, sirs?"

"Coffee, Please"

"The same."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee. Black."

The waiter grinned as he took the orders. "Alright, I will be back soon with your beverages." He nodded at them and then departed.

Shirley sighed as she watched him leave. She felt like the odd one out, being the only person who hadn't ordered coffee. _You're the only one in a dress too_. She reminded herself. She had to smile at that thought.

"So…" Mr. Jensen put down his menu. "When shall we start the scheduling?"

"I was thinking, as soon as our food arrives." Said Dinny.

"Dinny, my good man, if we were to do that, we wouldn't get anything done." Mr. Gibson disagreed. "I suggest we start after we order our main course."

The rest of the men nodded.

The waiter soon returned with their beverages: four coffees and a tea. He placed the delicate teacup in front of Shirley along with some cream and sugar. "Are we all ready to order now?"

Dinny looked at his fellow diners and nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

"What can I get you today, ma'am?" The waiter looked to Shirley.

"Oh, um…" She watched as all eyes turned on her. She knew it would seem rude if she didn't order something to eat. She decided on the smallest thing on the menu. "A buttered croissant, please."

"Would you like any jam or preserves with that, madam?"

"Um… yes. Raspberry preserves, please."

The waiter wrote it down and then gathered the rest of the diners' orders. He soon left again. Dinny, turned to the table's only female occupant.

"Aren't you hungry, Mrs. Partridge?" He asked.

"Oh, no. Not really." She replied and then explained. "I actually snacked a bit before I came here and didn't leave much room for lunch."

He nodded, though Shirley wasn't sure if he approved. _What do I care if he approves or not? _She stubbornly reminded herself. _I'm in charge here. I'm the manager of a very popular group. They won't do anything to anger me if they want to do business with me. Just remember: yes, yes, indeed!_

"Mrs. Partridge?" Her thoughts were soon interrupted as one of the group addressed her.

"Um, yes?" She looked around the table, unsure of who had called.

"Mr. Southborough was asking how long each of your shows last?" It had been the voice of Mr. Jensen. He looked at her worriedly, as if he feared she was going crazy.

"Oh, um... well, it varies. You see, we usually are assigned a time slot and fill that time up. But we never go over an hour." She shook her head to add the desired effect. "You see, the younger ones get tired if we go on for too long."

The men all nodded.

"What days are you available to perform?"

"Fridays and Saturdays during the school year and weekdays during the summer." She explained. She hoped she had said it right and that everyone understood. They did. Each man nodded responsively.

"By the way, Mr. Klein? You haven't mentioned where you have come from." Mr. Gibson looked to the quietest, and Shirley noticed the youngest, member of the group.

"I'm actually not a venue owner at all. I'm here to represent my employer. He's the venue owner. In fact he owns several across the country." Vic sipped at his coffee.

"What's your boss's name? Maybe we know him."

But Vic shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot let that information out. I was asked to keep silent on such matters."

All the men, and even Shirley, nodded though she suspected they were as uneasy as she was about Vic Klein's presence.

"Anyways," Shirley tried to move the conversation on to other things. "Forgive my ignorance, but how exactly so we 'do this'? I mean, I'm just the Partridge Family's representative. How do I sign up venues?"

"It's all very easy." Alfred Jensen grinned. "We each hand you a list of dates we're interested in and then you get back to us later and tell us which ones work for your family's schedule."

Shirley wished it sounded as easy as Mr. Jensen had said. "But, then why all meet for lunch?"

"So we can meet one another." Said Dinny and he added another pack of sugar to his coffee. "And…" he let the word dangle for a bit, building up the suspense. "So we can all get a free lunch. Kincaid usually takes the bill."

Shirley frowned, now realizing why all these men were being nice to her. It looked as if she were expected to pay the check. She put her elbows on the counter, cradling her chin in her hands as she thought about how much money that would be. _Good thing I brought my credit card._ Yes, good thing. But that only meant she'd be seeing the large number again in a couple of weeks.

_I guess this is the life of a manager._ Shirley sighed and stared dejectedly at her tea. _Yes, yes, indeed._


	8. Chapter 8

****

****

**Chapter Eight**

When Laurie got down to breakfast the next morning, she overheard Rueben talking to the other children about grocery shopping. Rueben? Grocery shopping? She knew that could only spell out disaster.

"You're going shopping?" She asked as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"Of course. We're running low on food around here." Ruben peeled an orange. "With the amount you children eat, it's no wonder you're not rich."

Danny chuckled. "Food has nothing to do with our income, Mr. Kincaid. It has everything to do with how _you_ manage our finances."

"Now Danny," Keith teased. "Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

"I'm only stating a fact." Danny instantly defended himself.

"Anyways," Laurie interrupted, trying to get back to the problem at hand. She looked to Ruben. "If you're going to go shopping, Ma Kincaid. You had better make a list."

"I never shop with a list." Rueben replied simply, "I keep track of everything right up here." He tapped his left temple.

"How do you get anything done?" Danny wondered.

Rueben glared at him. "I'll have you know, I have a fabulous memory."

"Like an elephant?" Tracy asked.

Rueben smiled at the thought, "Sure… I guess you could say that."

"Just the same, elephant memory or not, I think you should make a list." Laurie took a pen and paper from out of a kitchen drawer. "Now, what are we out of?"

"Good cereal." Chris said, pushing a box of cornflakes across the table.

"What are you talking about? Corn flakes are a wonderful breakfast!" Rueben argued.

Laurie added the request to the list anyways. "Anything else?"

"Steak?" Keith offered.

"Too expensive." Rueben said. "But I'll settle for ground beef. I can make a meatloaf." He grinned.

"Oh second thought…" Keith coughed uncomfortably.

Laurie caught his hint instantly. "I'll make the meatloaf." She said.

Rueben argued. "What? But I'm the mother!"

"Give it up, Ma." Danny suggested. "Not everyone likes smoked meat."

…

Rueben actually found grocery shopping a relaxing change to his everyday activities. With all the kids at school and far away from the house, he didn't have to think about chores or the other household trials of motherhood. "It's just me, this shopping cart, and the frozen food section."

He had a plan up his sleeve. He was tired of the criticism he was receiving after his cooking mistake the day before. He was determined to show the children that he could cook and would do so, with a little help from Betty Crocker.

…

When Laurie got home from school that evening, Rueben was hard at work in the kitchen. She set her satchel on the coffee table. "Ma Kincaid?"

"Don't come in here! I'm making dinner!"

She didn't like the tone of his voice. Actually, it made her nervous. "Alright, what did you do _now_?"

"Nothing."

Not believing him, Laurie sniffed the air, just to be safe. No smoke. In fact, what ever it was smelled pretty good. "Hmm…"

"Where's Ma?" Keith asked her as he came through the front door with his own books.

"In the kitchen." Laurie turned to him. "Cooking dinner."

"Oh no. Not the meatloaf, I hope. It's too good a food to let Rueben ruin it." Keith headed for the kitchen door.

Laurie grabbed his arm instantly. "Don't go in there!"

"Why not?"

"Because he told _me_ not to."

But Keith was stubborn, "Well he didn't tell _me_…"

"Is that you, Keith?" Rueben's voice came from the kitchen.

Keith only glanced at Laurie before answering. "Yes."

"Good. Well, stay out of the kitchen. I'm cooking dinner."

"So early?"

"It's never too early to start."

Keith gave his sister a worried look. "Oh no. It must be the meatloaf."

"Keith…" Laurie rolled her eyes and walked over to the couch to sit down. Keith followed her.

"Laurie, he burned dinner yesterday. Who's to say he won't do it again?" He sat beside her on the family room sofa.

"Look, the worse that can happen is that we have to go out for dinner again."

"Or the house burns down."

That got Laurie up on her feet in an instant. "Alright. You know what? For once, you're right. Being told to or not, we've got to get in there."

Keith grinned and rose as well. "Glad to see you're on my side."

The two siblings made their way quietly over to the kitchen door.

"Why don't you come in this way and I'll sneak through the dining room?" Laurie whispered.

Keith nodded and Laurie made her way around the corner.

"We're home!" She twirled around just as the last three Partridge children entered though the door.

"Where's Ma Kincaid?" Chris asked.

As if in answer, Ruben's voice again came from the kitchen, "Is that the rest of you? Oh good! Stay out of the kitchen, alright? I'm making dinner!"

The two youngest looked to Laurie in confusion. "He's making dinner?"

"A catastrophe is more like it." Danny said. He looked to Keith. "How much you wanna bet he'll burn it?"

Keith shook his head, "I'm not betting a thing. I'm _sure_ he's going to burn it."

Tracy went to Laurie. "How about an after school snack, Laurie?"

"Yeah, how are we supposed to get a snack if we're not allowed in the kitchen?" Chris echoed his sister's concerns.

"Hold on a moment." Laurie said and then called through the kitchen door. "Hey, Rueben?"

"What?"

"The younger kids want an after-school snack. How about it?"

Rueben soon exited the kitchen. "Here's some money." He handed Laurie a few crinkled bills. "Take the kids out for ice-cream."

"Ice-cream? But we already have some in the freezer."

"I ate it."

"_All_ of it?" Laurie was skeptical.

"Just take the kids out for ice-cream." Reuben grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her towards the front door.

"But-"

"Mother's orders. In fact, why don't you all go?" He looked to the others.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Danny instantly exited the residence soon followed by the two youngest children. Laurie and Keith chose to linger in the doorway.

"Rueben, be honest. What sort of monster are you making in that kitchen?" Keith looked to the manager, noticing for the first time that he was wearing a pink, ruffled, apron.

"It's called dinner." Reuben replied tightly. "Goodbye children." He pushed them out the door, closing it behind them.

"Well, one thing's for certain." Keith was saying as he and his siblings made their way down the sidewalk.

"What?" Danny asked. "Rueben makes a terrible mother?"

"Well, that and that he's enjoying his authority a little too much." Keith made a face.

Laurie nodded.

"What are we going to do about dinner?" Tracy asked.

"Scrap the ice-cream idea and go buy some tacos?" Danny suggested.

Chris disagreed, "But I want ice-cream."

"And we will get ice cream." Laurie promised. "We'll be good obedient children and each get an ice cream. Then we'll head home and do our homework. When dinner is served… well… let's just hope that Reuben truly knows what he is doing…"

"I don't know Laurie…" Keith shook his head.

"Why? What's wrong? If Mom were here, she'd tell us to do the exact same thing."

"Maybe." Danny agreed. "But Mom wouldn't be wearing a pink apron."

******

* * *

Author's Note: **A special thanks to Mystical Lady Partridge for the grocery shopping idea. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

By the time Thursday rolled around, Shirley was more then ready to return home. It wasn't that managing was hard work, no, but it was _tiring_ work, and she was getting really tired of all the restraints her male associates kept putting on her. The fact was, when Shirley did a job she liked to do a _good_ job but she was finding it almost impossible to do good job with so many people standing in her way.

"Good morning Mrs. Partridge." Rueben's neighbor, Mrs. Grandfield welcomed her when she exited the apartment that morning. Shirley had yet to find out how the woman had learned her name, seeing as she had never properly introduced herself, but still enjoyed the woman's friendly greetings.

"Good morning."

"Out to the office again today are we?"

Shirley smiled. "You've got it." She repositioned the heavy cardboard box on her hip.

"What's in the box?"

"Our new records. The DJ copies. I'm going to pass them out today."

The elderly woman smiled. "Have a nice day."

"You too." Shirley shifted the box to her other hip and headed for the elevator. She expected to get all the LPs handed out or in the mail by noon. Afterwards, she would go to the office and look over some files. It was going to be a full day.

…

Shirley ended up not getting her lunch until nearly half-past three when she finally escaped the post office. Her visit to the local San Pueblo station had taken her longer than expected and she had found herself giving autographs to the DJ's three toddlers and taking pictures with the radio family. She hadn't even gotten out of there until noon, and then she had the remaining few records to mail. She sighed. It was turning into more than a full day.

Shirley was starving so she settled on the fastest food she could get her hands on. _Scooby's_, a taco joint located in the park, was her decision. She saw several of her children's school friends as she sat down and smiled at all of them. They turned from her, ignoring her pleasantries. Shirley frowned, being reminded again about another trial to managing; loneliness.

"Hey look! There's Mom- I mean, our manager!"

Shirley recognized the voice instantly and her heart over flowed. Chris? She turned, but before she could react, four skinny arms encircled her waist, nearly throwing her off her seat.

"Mommy!" Tracy cried happily, as Shirley finally realized who had attacked her. The older three children approached as the younger two continued to hug her mercilessly.

"My! What a surprise!" Shirley said and smiled at all of them.

"You're telling me." Laurie replied, nodding to the food lying in front of her mother. "I thought you hated tacos, Mom?"

But Shirley's smile was unwavering. "Well, when you're starving, you'll eat anything."

"How goes the managing?" Keith asked her, taking a seat at the picnic table beside her.

By that time, Shirley had untangled herself from the embrace of her youngest children and was able to accept a one-armed squeeze from her oldest. "Oh, as well as one could expect."

"Is it really so hard?" Laurie got her hug and then sat at the table with the rest.

Shirley thought back to the events of the last few days. "Not really. I think it's going to be harder on Ruben when he gets back." Yes, she had made quite a mess in the last few days what with Angela Gixten's misconceptions and Alfred Henderson's reluctance to accept her authority. Rueben would have his work cut out for him when he returned. She only hoped he wouldn't be too angry.

"What have you done so far?" Keith continued.

"Oh, you know, the usual manager tasks: Answered phone calls, handed out DJ copies, attended a business meeting..."

Danny cut her off, "Attended a business meeting? _Our_ mother?"

"You sound surprised."

"I don't know. I guess I've never really seen you as the executive type." The redhead explained.

"Oh, I see…" Shirley paused and took a bite of her first taco. Greasy and unappetizing, she swallowed hard. _Well, at least it's cheap and it's food. _

"So…" Once she swallowed, she asked her own question. "How has life been at home with Ma Kincaid?"

"Horrible!" Danny sighed instantly and rested his elbows on the tabletop.

"Horrible?" Shirley looked worriedly at Keith and Laurie. She expected they'd tell her the truth, no matter what the news.

"He's exaggerating." Keith supplied. "Life hasn't been horrible, just… very… um…" She could tell he was fishing for the right word.

"We've never had a dull moment." Laurie provided and the rest nodded.

"He even gave Simone a bath." Tracy added.

"He did?" Now that was a surprise to Shirley. Reuben and dogs had never fit right in the same sentence. Sometimes, Shirley even suspected the Rueben didn't like Simone.

"Yeah. The whole garage was filled with bubbles-"

Keith instantly cut in. "Simone didn't want to stay in the tub."

Shirley wasn't convinced, but didn't inquire further. She was sure she'd get the truth in time. "Have you all been eating good?"

"Out almost every night." Danny said.

"You've been eating _out_?"

"Yeah, and once, Rueben even-"

This time, Laurie cut in. "Rueben's at home right now making dinner."

"So early?"

"The way Rueben cooks the earlier the better."

Shirley nodded. Well, it seemed like they were getting along alright. Well… maybe. Her oldest children's recent habit of interrupting their siblings didn't sit right with her. They were hiding something. But what? And should she be concerned?

"Speaking of dinner." Keith suddenly spoke up. "Maybe we should start heading back?"

"So soon?" Said Tracy in a tiny voice.

"Yeah, you know what Ma Kincaid said. He… I mean, _she _thinks we're just going out for an ice cream and coming back."

"Ice cream?" Shirley questioned.

"Yeah, for an after-school snack." Chris provided.

Shirley nodded.

"Reuben ate all that we had in the house." Said Tracy.

Now that was a big surprise to Shirley. "Oh he did, did he?"

"Come on, kids." Laurie got to her feet and the rest followed. She looked to Shirley. "It was nice to see you again, Mom."

"You too, Laurie. It was so nice to see all of you!" She gathered the youngest ones into another hug.

"Do you miss us?" Asked Tracy.

"Terribly." Confessed their mother. She kissed her daughter's nose. "I'll see you all on Saturday, after dinner."

"If we survive." Danny mumbled.

Shirley held back the urge to ask him to explain. She gave each for her children one last hug and then sent them on their way. It was too short of a visit for her. But Shirley reminded herself that right now, she wasn't the mother. And until Saturday night, she needed to stop thinking that way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

It was almost five by the time the children got called in for dinner that night. Entering the dining room, Laurie eyed the cuisine wearily. Everything was in covered pots, well, everything but the salad, which looked as if someone just peeled a head of lettuce and tossed it into a bowl. Though she hated to admit it, besides the strange salad, the aroma of the meal was appetizing.

"Alright. Everyone have a seat!" Rueben still wore the pink apron and took a seat at the head of the table. The children took their usual seats and Keith inhaled deeply.

"Smells good. What is it?"

"You'll see in a moment." Rueben stood and began removing lids from the various pots and pans on the table. "Well, bon appetite! Dig in!"

What Laurie saw surprised her. The first pot was filled with creamy macaroni and cheese and the second, with savory spaghetti. In the third, was what looked like chicken noodle soup. Though Laurie was a big questionable about Reuben's selections for this meal, she had to admit, it all looked good.

"Well?"

Laurie looked up at Ruben and noticed that neither she nor the rest of her siblings had moved.

"Dig in. Come on, kids. I spent most of the day, making it."

Keith was the first to act and take a large spoonful of spaghetti, followed by Danny who began to dish up a serving of macaroni. Laurie acted last, opting on the salad.

Once everyone was served, Laurie took a bite of spaghetti. Though a little dry, Laurie couldn't help but admit it tasted pretty good. She went on to try the other dishes. Everything was edible and Laurie actually liked it. It's no wonder why she was instantly suspicious. How could Rueben, the guy who almost burnt the house down, now be such an accomplished chef?

"So? What do you kids think?"

"Yum!" Said Tracy as she spooned another mound of macaroni into her mouth.

"It's really good, Rueben. How did you learn how to cook like this?" Keith looked to him. Laurie could tell her brother was just as suspicious as she.

"Well, I just sort of taught myself. Just because I can't make roast, doesn't mean I can't cook at all." Laurie didn't agree. Rueben really _couldn't_ cook at all. So why could he cook now? She figured the answer lay in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go get a glass of water." Laurie rose to her feet. One way or another, she was going to figure out Rueben's cooking secrets.

Rueben stopped her instantly. "Wait! What? What's wrong with milk?" He motioned towards the bottle sitting on the table.

"Nothing, I just feel like water with dinner tonight." Laurie answered simply. She watched as Rueben thought over what she had said. Finally he nodded.

"Well…" His worried expression melted away to a smile. "Then while you're at it, can you grab the orange juice out of the refrigerator?"

"Sure." To say the very least, Laurie was surprised that he was actually letting her into the kitchen alone. _Maybe I was wrong? Maybe he really did cook all this stuff. _She pushed her chair in and headed towards the kitchen door.

"I want juice too, Ma Kincaid." Laurie heard Tracy say as she entered the kitchen.

"Alright," Ruben replied instantly, "You can have some too."

"Me too, Ma Kincaid?"

"Sure, Chris. Why not?"

Laurie almost smiled as she pushed her way through the swinging door. It seemed like things were finally beginning to mesh at the Partridge home again. Tonight there were no fires, no stomachaches, and no over-reactive washing machines, just a normal family, with a very abnormal mother, sitting down to an unusual yet delicious meal.

"Hey, Laurie?"

She paused as her older brother addressed her and turned back towards the table. "Yeah?"

"Forgetting something?" He held up her empty glass.

She gave him a knowing look. "Oh, thank you." She nodded and then escaped instantly to the safety of the kitchen. Inside, all looked as it should. No messes, no dishes piled high in the sink…

Laurie looked again. No dishes? She hastily went over to the sink and looked inside. Sure enough, the sink was empty. "That's strange…"

"Laurie!" Rueben called from the dining room.

"In a minute!" She called back and then hastily went to the cupboards. Perhaps Rueben had washed the dishes as he went along, dried them off, and stowed them away in the kitchen cabinets again?

She opened a door and looked inside. All her mother's pots and pans were in order. It seemed like that was the answer to her puzzle. Then again…

On a fleeting suspicion, Laurie made one last stop on her search in the kitchen: the dishwasher. Opening it up, she was surprised to find several of her mother's largest mugs resting on the top rack. Mugs? She doubted Reuben drank so much coffee. Besides, being the untidy person Reuben was, he would have used one mug for all nine servings. She smelled something fishy; not only that but she also smelled chicken noodle soup, red-sauce spaghetti, and scrumptious macaroni-and-cheese. Laurie lifted up a mug. The residue of a serving of creamy Mac-and-cheese still stuck to the porcelain sides.

"Aha…" Laurie instantly replaced the mug to its spot and went to the kitchen's trashcan. Sure enough, several boxes of Betty Crocker's Mug-O-Lunches were pressed down inside. She pulled one out. It didn't surprise her to see that this variety was the chicken noodle flavor. She figured the other ones were spaghetti and macaroni.

"Laurie? What's taking you so long-?" Rueben paused when he saw Laurie with the box.

Laurie held it up high and smirked mercilessly. "You can cook, huh?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

By the time Friday rolled around, Shirley was counting the hours away for when she could return home. Though she didn't find managing too challenging (she wasn't about to mention how many headaches and screaming spells she had had), she knew she preferred motherhood most of all.

She spent most of the day organizing Rueben's files and calendar. She thought it the least she could do after the small amount of damage she had done to his personal life. Angela Gixten had yet to return, but Shirley figured the woman had either given up on the manager or was still expecting his apology phone call. Either way, it was out of her hands now.

At about 1:30, Shirley took a break for lunch and treated herself to a nice sandwich at her favorite teahouse. She limited herself to an hour, just in case any calls were made in her absence and by the time she returned, she was relieved to find that no messages had been left for her. Business had certainly slowed down with the end of the week, and to say the very least, she was thankful.

It was during her final trip to the recycling bin that an idea hit the mother squarely on the toe. She cried out in pain as a wooden box tumbled off a nearby shelf and onto her foot. Several dollar bills fell out and that brought along an interesting thought. Salary. She was doing Rueben's work, but did that also mean she was going to see his paycheck? It wasn't a greedy notion, it was just one made out of curiosity. It really didn't matter if she saw the money or not, it was just going to be interesting to see if Rueben Kincaid had stumbled upon the same idea. She doubted it though, with five children on your hands, who had the time for money? She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

That night, Shirley took one last bath in the nice bathroom before climbing into bed for a good night's rest. The next morning she'd clean the sheets, make the bed, tidy the kitchen and then prance home into the loving arms of her family. With that thought in mind, she fell asleep with a smile on her lips and a glow in her heart.

…

With such serenity on her end, a similar pattern could be expected at the Partridge household. But not with Ma Kincaid in charge.

"What's wrong?" Laurie asked her deranged mother when she came down to breakfast the next morning. The table was unusually silent, and no one looked up at her when she spoke.

"Tracy had a bad dream last night." Mumbled Keith as he added more cereal to his bowl.

"And?"

"Ma Kincaid told her to get over it so she came to me."

Laurie could see where this conversation was heading. The tension was all due to lost sleep.

"And now Tracy's mad at me." Reuben continued and it is here, Laurie noticed that the youngest Partridge was not at the table enjoying breakfast with the rest.

"Where is she?"

"In the upstairs closet. She's refusing to come out until I give her an apology."

Laurie cringed at the familiarity of those words. Tracy had obviously learned to take that sort of stand from her older sister. "Well…" She forced the words out uncomfortably, "Why not give her the apology then?"

"Because, he's not sorry about what he did. He hasn't even apologized to _me_ yet." Keith glared at Rueben from across the table.

"Apologize to _you_? You're the brother, the man of the house; _you_ should be willing to help with the younger ones. I didn't know what to do. I've never been faced with that sort of problem before." Rueben grumbled.

"Well, you should have learned, might I remind you, _you're_ the _mother_ of this house!"

"Sometimes I want to forget."

"Okay, enough!" Laurie held up her hands to silence the squabbling pair. "I'll take care of Tracy." She looked to her younger brothers. "Have you both been fed?"

Chris nodded and Danny shrugged. "Sure. We're big enough. We don't need a mother to do everything for us."

Laurie rolled her eyes.

"Tracy?" Rueben pressed, looking up at her.

"Right." Laurie nodded. "I'll be right back." She left the feuding group at the table and then headed back up the stairs. She stopped right outside the linen closet and knocked on the door politely.

"Go away!" Tracy sniffled.

"Tracy, it's Laurie." Laurie said gently, bending to her knees, trying to see through the slats on the closet door. "It's time to come out now. Don't you want anything to eat before school?"

"I don't want to come out."

"Well, you have to. What would Mom say when she comes home tomorrow and finds out that you spent your entire Friday inside a linen closet?"

Tracy didn't answer.

Laurie sighed. "Come on, Tracy. You know Rueben's never going to apologize, he's like Keith, a guy, and guy's are too stubborn to say anything close to an apology unless they think they're in the wrong."

"He didn't care."

"He probably wasn't even fully awake yet." Tracy didn't respond so Laurie spook again. "C'mon, Tracy. Why don't you come out of there now? You can tell me all about your dream. I'll listen." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Time was getting short, if she didn't get Tracy out of there soon, she'd just have to leave her, have Rueben call the child in sick, and rush off to the high school.

"I don't want to tell it again. It was scary."

"Sometimes it helps to talk about it. Isn't that what Mom always says?"

"I told Keith last night."

"And?"

"He laughed at me."

Laurie frowned. That sounded like her brother. She looked at the clock again.

"Come on, Tracy. Come out. If you do, I'll buy you ice cream after school today."

There was a pause. "Promise?"

"Sure. And if you want, I'll try to make both Rueben _and _Keith apologize to you. But remember what I said about guys. That may not happen."

The door opened moments later and Tracy emerged rubbing at her tear-streaked eyes. To Laurie's dismay, the young girl was still in her nightgown, but at least she was out of the closet. "Okay."

"Okay. Now, let's go and get you in some clothes, and then we'll grab you something quick to eat before you head off to school." Laurie took the young strawberry-blonde by the hand and led her to the bedroom, silently scolding both Keith and her 'mother' in her head.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:

Special thanks to _Mystical Lady Partridge_ for providing the 'Tracy's nightmare' idea. :) 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Saturday morning, no one slept in. Shirley was up at five, getting her cleaning done early before her untimely departure at 9:30. She was so happy, the sun was out, it was finally Saturday, and by 10:00 she'd have her family back.

She greeted each neighbor warmly as she made her way out to the dumpster with the trash. She still didn't know all of their names, but everyone smiled and waved at her, remembering her from the times before. As much as she hated to admit it, in a small way she was going to miss being Mr. Kincaid. He had so many nice neighbors, and the apartment he lived in reminded Shirley of one she often dreamed of when she was in High School and itching to move out of the house.

At half passed nine, Shirley stopped one last time to look at the apartment, before locking it up and heading out to the car.

"Well, Shirley." She said, her eyes sweeping the residence. "Say goodbye to solitude and hello to family." A smile lit her face as she realized she wouldn't want it any other way. Although, she _was_ really going to miss that bathtub.

…

At the Partridge residence, all five children and their guardian were up at seven and hustled to get the much neglected house chores done before Shirley returned.

"Who knew a house could get so messy in just a few days." Rueben mused as he helped Keith move the couch. Laurie, meanwhile, continued vacuuming the floor, finding the amount of dust flying in the air was bothering her eyes and nose. "Does your mother clean _everyday_?"

Keith shrugged the best he could. "How should I know? I'm at school most of the time."

Laurie shook her head. Maybe no lessons were learned during this experiment. At least Keith didn't seem to have learned anything. "Hurry it up, guys. I'm almost done with the vacuuming, but then there are a whole lot of other things that need to be done."

Just then, Chris and Tracy came bouncing in the front door, the family pet trailing behind. "Simone is clean." Tracy announced and the dog shook her coat for emphasis, flinging water droplets into the air.

"And how about the garage?" Laurie asked, shielding herself from the spray.

"We straightened it out." Said Chris.

"Oh good. One less thing on my mommy-do list." Rueben replaced the couch and then collapsed on it in exhaustion. Keith soon joined him.

"What's wrong with Ma Kincaid?" Asked Tracy.

"Oh, he's just having a hard time grasping motherhood." Laurie replied.

"I am not." The exhausted manager argued.

Laurie merely smiled and looked to the younger children. "Okay, now how about going upstairs and putting away all your bath toys?"

"Now?" Tracy whined.

"Yes, now."

Nodding obediently, the two kids headed slowly up the stairs.

Laurie turned off the vacuum cleaner. "Don't get too comfortable." She warned the couch-sitters. "We still have a lot of things to do before Mom shows up at ten."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Have you seen the kitchen? The bathrooms? And Simone may be clean but the laundry sure isn't." She opened the front hall closet and stored the vacuum inside.

Rueben groaned. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't make me wash the laundry."

Laurie smiled knowingly, walking back over to the pair. "Actually, Ma Kincaid. I was thinking you could clean the kitchen. I'll get the younger ones started on their rooms and Keith, you can clean the bathrooms."

"Me?" The older brother protested, wrinkling his nose. "Why do I have to clean the bathrooms?"

"Because you know how to and I know what happens when you try to use the washing machine." Laurie watched as her older brother turned to Rueben with a dissatisfied frown.

"You heard her." Said Rueben. "Clean the bathrooms."

"Yeah, but you're the mother. Shouldn't you be the one calling the shots?"

Laurie picked a laundry basket from off the floor and began collecting the stray socks littering the room. "Not today, brother dear. Remember what Ma said at breakfast: Today, Laurie is in charge." She grinned and dodged a pillow as one was flung in her direction.

"Drop dead."

Just then, the front door opened and Danny walked in. "Flowerbed's weeded and I swept off the walkway." He announced looking about as bushed as the rest of them.

Laurie sighed in relief. It looked like the outside of the house was finally in order. "Okay, then up to your room. Tell Chris and Tracy to clean up all their toys. You too."

"But that'll take hours!" Danny complained.

Laurie looked at the clock. "Well, looks like you have one and a half. Better get going." She watched, satisfied, as Danny headed obediently up the stairs. She looked back to the couch.

Keith reluctantly peeled himself from off the cushions. "Okay, I'm on it." He said, soon following the direct path Danny had taken only a moment before.

Rueben watched him go before turning back to Laurie. "So… what are you going to be doing while the rest of us slave away?"

"The laundry." Laurie replied nodding to the basket she held.

Rueben grimaced, getting up from the couch and heading quickly towards the kitchen. "If you need anything, I'll be-"

"I know." Laurie cut him off. He'd be in the kitchen. She only hoped he knew how to clean that much. Shaking her head, Laurie continued her task, starting with a sock carelessly thrown across the coffee table.

_How does Mom do it? _She thought and then smiled slightly as the answer came to mind. _Because she's Mom. She's just groovy like that._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"I'm home!" It actually surprised Shirley when she entered her house later that morning to find it empty and quiet. Where was everybody? She thought they would all be crowding in the front hall waiting to welcome her home. "Rueben? Kids? …Simone?"

Still no answer.

_Maybe they all went out for breakfast? _Shirley thought and then grinned._ Knowing Rueben, he couldn't cook an egg, let alone make a well-rounded breakfast. _ Satisfied that she had reached the correct answer, she set her suitcase by the stairs and wandered into the living room, collapsing on the couch to wait. Well! At least Rueben kept a good house. She didn't see a speck of dust anywhere.

Closing her eyes, the manager-turned-mother leaned into the cushions, sighing with satisfaction. _It's great to be home! How much I missed it!_

"Surprise!" Suddenly, four figures popped up from various places around the room.

Shirley jumped, her eyes flying open; calming only after she realized whom these startling people where. "Kids! You had me going there for a moment. I thought Rueben had taken you all out for breakfast."

Chris and Tracy climbed around the television set and each claimed a spot on the couch. "Laurie made us oatmeal." Said the blonde boy, giving his mother a hug. It was a favor soon copied by the youngest.

"Oh? Ma Kincaid didn't cook?"

"Oh, he cooks alright." Said Laurie as she and Keith exited the kitchen, "With a little help from Betty Crocker, three coffee mugs, and a lot of hot water."

Shirley raised her eyebrows. "Don't tell me. I don't think I want to know."

Chris and Tracy giggled.

"Welcome home, Mom." Keith leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Have a good time?"

"It was… interesting." Shirley said, her mind already reminding her of all her failures. Missed phone calls, angry girlfriends… She shuttered.

"What? Was managing harder than you thought?"

"Now don't you start." Laurie frowned at her brother and claimed the last spot on the couch.

"I was just asking a question." Keith replied innocently.

Shirley gave him a knowing look. "Well, to answer that question, I found that the hardest part about being a group manager is handling all the people."

Laurie looked confused. "But you're great with people, Mom."

"Well, apparently I have some things to learn in the professional category." Eyes scanning the room, Shirley suddenly noticed that two persons weren't present. "By the way, where's Danny? And Rueben?"

"I sent them out just a few minutes ago with the trash." Said Keith. "You know, speaking of which, they should have been back by now."

Exchanging worried glances, the small group slowly rose from the couch.

"Well, who's brave enough to find out what happened?" Laurie asked, nodding towards the kitchen.

Shirley just smiled and headed for the door. "Knowing those two, I think I _already _know what happened."

…

Once outside, Shirley wasn't the least bit surprised to find that she was right. There was Rueben, covered in garbage and Danny was nowhere in sight "Having trouble, Ma Kincaid?" She asked, not even bothering to hide her smile. She reached up and gently removed a banana peel from off the manager's left shoulder.

"Trouble?" Reuben gritted his teeth. "Not once I get my hands on Danny."

"What did he do this time?" Laurie asked.

"As if you didn't know. The real question is: what _didn't_ he do. He was supposed to be back with a towel ten minutes ago."

As if in answer, suddenly Danny appeared on the scene with two towels in hand. "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Kincaid." The redhead said, breathing heavily. "But I had to find the right towel. The first few I found were pink and then the next set were…" His voice trailed off as he noticed he had an audience. "Mom… you're back."

Shirley raised her eyebrows. "It's good to see you too, Danny."

"Mr. Kincaid didn't tell you what happened, did he?"

"Should he have?"

"No…"

Rueben spoke up. "Let's just say, Danny thought I might be fun to tamper with the garbage bag."

"I already told you, Mr. Kincaid. I didn't put that slit there, honest!"

"We'll see who's being honest after I tan your hide!"

"Enough!" Shirley held up her hands and instantly the squabbling seized. "Alright, the way I see it, the challenge is over so that means I'm the mother again." She frowned at Ruben, "That means you won't be tanning anyone's hide, and as for Danny," She looked to the middle child. "You'll be cleaning up this mess while Ma Kincaid cleans himself up."

"But-" Danny began to protest, but one look at his mother let him know she meant business. He lowered his eyes and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Shirley smiled again. She was glad she had only agreed to a week as manager. Any longer and she couldn't imagine what state her household would have been in.

Suddenly, Chris looked up at her. "Can Tracy and I be excused now? We want to play with Simone in the yard."

"Sure." Shirley ruffled his hair. "Just be in for lunch." She watched, contentedly as her two youngest children hurriedly skipped off to play.

"You missed it, didn't you?" Rueben piped up, after the youngsters had disappeared from sight.

"Missed what?" Shirley asked, though she already knew the answer.

"The kids, the house, being a mother. That's what."

She nodded. "Yes. I did miss it." She glanced fondly at the oldest three. "_Especially_ the kids."

Keith and Laurie just smiled.

"Good." Rueben suddenly pulled off the soiled pink apron he was wearing and handed both it and the towels Danny had brought to Shirley. "Now, give me back my car keys and you can have it all back."

"Surrender the keys? To _my_ sports car?" Shirley joked.

"Well, it's not yours any longer, so yes."

"What? You don't think a mother deserves a nice car like that?"

"I've seen a week of what a mother deserves and I'm done with it!"

Shirley laughed. "Not too easy, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

Shirley took a glance at her oldest children and noticed they were smirking. It looked like this would be a good time to swap stories on the week's events. "Well, what do you say we all get washed up and have a nice cup of coffee before dinner?"

"Sounds like music to my ears." Said Ruben.

"Me too." Keith agreed. It was obvious that he was eager to hear what had happened during his mother's week as manager.

"Music to _your _ears? Since when have you started drinking coffee?"

Keith shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Since I decided it might be fun to hear about Mom's hazardous week in your apartment."

They headed towards the house with Shirley and Laurie in tow, their conversation moving to possible failures Shirley could have encountered.

"Are you going to let them get away with that?" Laurie looked to her mother. "I mean, just listen to those two chauvinists. Didn't they learn _anything_ from this experiment?" She frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them." Shirley said, calmly. "I think we still have the upper hand."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Because," Shirley smiled. "I still have Rueben's car keys."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Well, here we are, the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this short story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Cheers!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

It didn't take them long to find four chairs, a box of cookies, and a warm coffee pot. Settling around the kitchen table, Shirley claimed the seat across from Rueben as Laurie and Keith took one on either side. Positioned as they were, it was almost like they were setting up for some sort of competition. Boys versus girls. Winner takes all.

_I almost feel like I'm at another business meeting…_ Shirley thought dizzily as the faces of her family suddenly morphed into music men and record gurus. She hastily shook her head to banish the faces from view. She needed to stop worrying. She would _never_ be attending another one of those again. Thankfully, that was again Rueben's job.

"So… who's gonna start?" Not being much of a coffee drinker, Shirley noticed Keith settled down with a serving of chocolate milk in his mug. Shirley knew the drink had always been a favorite of his. A comfort beverage, one he had drunken frequently in his elementary school days.

"What's to start? I thought we were just comparing notes," Shirley replied, not being able to resist a smile. Keith was nervous, thus his beverage of choice. Her smile melted, however, when she poured a spoonful of sugar into her mug, her eyes landing upon some sort of residue the washing machine had missed near the upper rim. Was that… cheese sauce?

"Well, we are. Keith and I just thought that perhaps we'd tell each account sort of like a story. That way, we can get the full picture." Rueben grinned at the two females sitting across from him. He was acting a bit too cocky for Shirley's taste, but she knew she had nothing to worry about. The expressions of her children just a few days before were enough to tell her she may have been better off, despite her few errors. Alright, so there weren't just a few.

"Sounds fine to me. I think I'll start with day one when Ma Kincaid ordered more Chinese takeout that any of us could eat." Laurie smirked as she lifted her glass to take a sip. Plain tap water. Laurie obviously didn't need any comfort food; she seemed revved up and ready to put these chauvinists in their place. Though bold, Shirley wasn't exactly sure this was a good thing.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, hey. I don't think it's fair for you to disclose Rueben's experience," Keith objected. "Let him do it."

"What if he starts leaving things out?"

"He won't."

"Laurie? Keith? That's enough." Shirley shook her head as she began to have another case of déjà vu. Day one, the argument that had started this whole challenge. The argument over Allan Howard and Nancy Weiss. "I think it may be best if each of you let Rueben and I tell our own stories. You're free to make comments, but no arguing. At the end you're welcome to add anything that we may have missed."

"But that's hardly fair," Reuben set his mug on the table, "You don't have any secondhand audiences. I have five."

"True…" Shirley hadn't thought of that.

"Well, if you're so worried about it, I'm sure you could call any number of your neighbors and invite them to this meeting." Laurie smiled and grabbed for a cookie out of the box.

Rueben's face turned red. Shirley figured the thought of any of his neighbors bearing witness to his own side of the story wasn't worth any secondhand accounts from the children. "No, no. Never mind. Let's just get on with this."

"Alright then, who first?" asked Keith.

"I'll go." Shirley wanted to avoid any more conflicts. "It's just so hard to know where to start."

"How about when you first left the house in Rueben's car?" Laurie suggested. "That way, Rueben can later start his story at the same part. When you walked out the door."

Shirley looked to the men's side of the table.

Keith shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

Rueben nodded. "Seems fair enough."

"Great! Mom? Tell us about your experience."

And so, Shirley did.

…

That evening, after a good home cooked meal, Shirley saw a tired and slowly-recovering Ma Kincaid to the door. The meeting actually went pretty well. There was some cringing and some uncomfortable moments, but in the end, each of them laughed at least once, some of them even laughed at themselves.

"Thanks for helping with dinner tonight, Rueben. I'll have to say, you may be a slow learner, but in no time, I'm sure you'll be wowing some dinner date with your culinary expertise."

"Maybe. I'm just glad this whole thing is over, not that going back's going to be a picnic either."

Shirley raised an eyebrow, "Still finding motherhood easy?"

"I didn't say that. But there is some damage you ensued that I'm not looking forward to fixing."

Shirley lowered her eyes as she recalled the mishap with Angela Gixten. Rueben now knew. That had been the hardest confession she had had to make. "Look, Rueben, I am sorry about that. I didn't mean for that woman to get the wrong impression…"

Rueben waved her apology off, "Forget it. It was my poor planning that caused it to occur. I should have canceled our date."

"Now don't blame yourself."

There was a moment of silence, before Rueben spoke again. This time, a small smile came to his lips. "You know, as tiring as motherhood is, you really do have a great group of kids. I actually sort of enjoyed it. The family togetherness that is, not the housework."

Shirley easily found a smile of her own. "I'm glad to hear that Rueben, and you're welcome to come over any time to help out. Wish I could say some good about management, but I'll have to confess, alone time losses its luster pretty darn fast!"

They laughed together and then Rueben turned to go. "Well, thanks again for dinner."

"No problem. We should do it again. Like I said, you're far from hopeless in the cooking category."

"Thanks."

"And actually, you may benefit from asking your kind neighbors to teach you how to wash your own clothes."

"Maybe."

"I mean it Rueben, you need to learn to not be so dependent."

Rueben didn't comment more on the subject, but the look on his face was evidence enough that he agreed with her. "Well, goodnight, Shirley."

"Goodnight, Rueben." As Shirley watched him head for his car, she couldn't help but smile, thinking about his kind words about her children. Yes, she was very blessed to have those five kids in her life. Despite their arguments and few quirks, she really did miss them while she was away. Now, watching Rueben leave the house by the very same path she had taken a little over a week before, she couldn't help but wonder if he was feeling the same way. Would he soon miss the children as she had. Even thought it had only been a week, he had been their mother for that time, and she knew it wouldn't be an experience he could easily forget.

She called after him, "Hey, Rueben!"

"Forget something?" Rueben turned to her, one foot in his car.

"I'm going to a parent-teacher conference this Friday night for Chris and Tracy. Since the older two will both be gone on dates, I'll be needing a babysitter…"

A small happy smile came to the manager's face and he held up his hand to silence her, "Say nothing more. What time should I be over?"

"Five o' clock?"

"I'll be there."

Shirley waved as he finally got into his car and drove away. When she turned back inside, she was met with five inquisitive faces. "Something wrong?"

Danny spoke first, "You're letting Mr. Kincaid babysit us on Friday?"

"Yes."

"But Mom, are you really sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah Mom," Laurie stepped in, "I could always cancel my date and look after the kids."

"Maybe she should," Chris said and Tracy nodded.

Shirley just shut the door and smiled a big smile. "Are you kids really so scared?"

"Mom! You heard what he did!"

Shirley nodded. "So?"

"He's the worst mother ever!"

She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Danny demanded. "You're putting our lives at risk."

"You all are. You're so concerned about more Rueben blunders that you're all missing an important aspect of motherhood." Shirley headed over to the couch and took a seat. The children followed her.

"What's that?" Tracy claimed the seat beside her.

"Something I think Rueben wasn't even aware of until our little switch this weekend."

"Which is…?" Keith sat on the back of the couch.

"A mother's unconditional love for her children. You kids might not realize it, but Rueben's going to really miss you all of you soon enough."

Danny's face suddenly lit up, "Oh! I'd like to see him live this one down!" He hurried to the telephone.

"Danny?" Shirley turned to him, "Drop the phone. You're not going to call and tease Rueben."

"Why not?"

"He's had a long week. Let's give him some time to relax."

Danny reluctantly complied to his mother's orders. "Well… guess there's always Friday…"

Shirley just shook her head. Some things never change…

"Well, despite all that, I'm really glad this week is over." Keith said.

"Oh? Why's that?"

Keith reached down to kiss his mother on the cheek. "Because despite how they may try, no one's a better Mom than you."

The other children quickly agreed and all gathered around to give her a group hug.

Shirley was touched. "Well, thank you, kids. I'll have to say, I really try my best, but sometimes I wonder if it's enough."

"Oh, it's enough." Keith assured her, getting up from the couch and heading for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Shriley watched as he enetered the next room.

"Getting myself a third helping of meatloaf."

"But Keith, you just ate dinner. That very thing in fact."

"Oh, I know. I just want to be sure to fill up on your cooking before Rueben comes by to fix dinner again."

Seemingly considering this comment, the youngest three Partridge children soon rose to their feet and also headed for the kitchen. "Hey, Keith, leave some for us!"

Soon only Laurie and Shirley remained in the family room. Shirley turned to her eldest daughter and smiled. "Well? Aren't you going to fill up before the frightful return of Ma Kincaid?"

"No. Unlike those four, I didn't just miss your cooking."

Shirley patted her daughter's knee.

"You know Mom, even though it was your and Rueben's week to try out some new responsibilities, I think I may have learned some things myself." Laurie said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's made me appreciate you more as a mother. I mean, I never thought motherhood was easy, but it wasn't until I was actually _doing_ it that I really understood how much work it really was. I mean, between keeping the peace, schoolwork, and cleaning up after Ma Kincaid, I got really busy. I guess I never really realized what a fulltime job you had."

Shirley leaned in and gave her daughter a hug. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that. I'll have to say, despite that long week, I'm not exactly sure Rueben learned as much as I hoped. I know Keith didn't. I'm glad to know that time didn't go to waste, though I'm sorry you had to take on all that extra responsibility in my absence."

"You don't have to apologize, Mom." Laurie returned the hug. "I really didn't mind so much. Actually, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to give you a little help out once in a while. There's no reason why you should have to do everything all the time. You deserve a little time off."

Shirley was about to decline the offer, but then didn't. She knew her daughter better than that. If Laurie wanted to help out, she would let her. After all, a little time off didn't sound so bad. "Thank you, honey. I may just take you up on that offer."

"Hey, you two want anything?" Just then, Keith appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

Laurie and Shirley exchanged glances and just smiled. Maybe they had accomplished more than they thought.

"No thanks. The meatloaf's all yours."

Keith looked from one female to the other. "You're sure?"

"Sure, Keith. Eat it all up. Rueben would want you to." Shirley nodded to him.

"Rueben?"

"Yes. Didn't you know? He made that meatloaf himself." Shirley couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw him turn several shades of green. "Keith?"

Keith went back into the kitchens. "Kids? Change of plans. Ma Kincaid made that meatloaf."

The chorus of disgusted noises that followed was enough to put both mother and daughter into tears and fits of uncontrollable laughter. Yes, things were definitely getting back to normal.


End file.
